Do you actually have to do all your programming in Microsoft VC++? And make silly windows GUI programs?

I have transfer credit for CS153, but I did it in Java at NWMSU. I'm thinking about just dropping the class, getting a sylabus of stuff to learn, and do the stuff on my own sans-microsoft.

Learning the .NET framework is a large part of what 153 is, for good or bad. If you don't want to do that, then yeah, just learn about linked-lists, etc. You probably won't have much trouble with it.

Diversity is marketable.

Is that an argument for .NET? Anyway, I don't want ever want to do windows programming, especially windows GUI's as a job. I've experienced the evil that is java GUI's, and its not something I would like to repeat. Also, I'm a CompE.

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No.. The main thrust of 153 is to teach you data structures and the tip of analysis (you know, things that they don't teach in most high schools - well, not properly). Exposure to a more event-driven model is an added "feature". Why .NET? Because the majority of the market uses it and it's what the majority of the CS dept faculty could agree to.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by the "evil that is Java GUI's" but every GUI is event-driven and most are OO'd (yes, even the C ones). And the fact that you're a CmpE means nothing when it comes to a diverse education, because we all know that the average person doesn't switch careers 3 times in their life.

However, if you have credit for it,,, then by all means skip the class.

Not an argument for .NET (I am a Swing addict). It helps to understand different technologies though because 1) You'll know the strengths and weaknesses of each 2) You won't always have a choice on what technology you'll be using.

I've got my exposure to GUI's and event driven programming via VB.NET and Java, and by evil I mean it's not fun. I must confess that the Microsoft IDE is sometimes convenient, since it does stuff for you and has a debugger, but its otherwise annoying. From what I understand, in classes after 153 like 284, stuff is required to compile under gcc, or you can use whatever language you want.

Does it even use the .NET framework? I thought it was just MFC and unmanaged C++.

I say don't take the class if you have credit. You've probly already learned the basic programming constructs they cover, and you likely can pick up whatever GUI toolkit you'd like in higher level classes (though I don't even think they require it).

A word of caution... courses change periodically, especailly the x53 series. I haven't seen this semester's curriculum, but 153 has a new coordinator... so all bets are pretty much off right now.

Bets are even further off when the fall rolls around 8)

Yeah. CS253, which is supposed to be Data Structures 2, was basically a class about algorithms and stuff. Not what I was expecting.